diff --git a/lib/gitea/conformance.sh b/lib/gitea/conformance.sh
index 223eefd5..575affaf 100644
--- a/lib/gitea/conformance.sh
+++ b/lib/gitea/conformance.sh
@@ -19,11 +19,14 @@ fi
 
 VERBOSE="${1:-}"
 
-# suite name | pass counter | fail counter | failures list
+# suite name | pass counter | fail counter | failures list | extra modules (;-sep)
+ISSUES_EXTRAS="lib/relations/schema.sx;lib/relations/engine.sx;lib/relations/api.sx;lib/smalltalk/tokenizer.sx;lib/smalltalk/parser.sx;lib/guest/reflective/class-chain.sx;lib/smalltalk/runtime.sx;lib/guest/reflective/env.sx;lib/smalltalk/eval.sx;lib/content/block.sx;lib/content/doc.sx;lib/content/render.sx;lib/content/api.sx;lib/content/meta.sx;lib/content/text.sx;lib/content/section.sx;lib/content/table.sx;lib/content/markdown.sx;lib/content/md-import.sx;lib/gitea/issues.sx"
+
 SUITES=(
-  "repo|gitea-repo-pass|gitea-repo-fail|gitea-repo-fails"
-  "access|gitea-access-pass|gitea-access-fail|gitea-access-fails"
-  "wire|gitea-wire-pass|gitea-wire-fail|gitea-wire-fails"
+  "repo|gitea-repo-pass|gitea-repo-fail|gitea-repo-fails|"
+  "access|gitea-access-pass|gitea-access-fail|gitea-access-fails|"
+  "wire|gitea-wire-pass|gitea-wire-fail|gitea-wire-fails|"
+  "issues|gitea-issues-pass|gitea-issues-fail|gitea-issues-fails|$ISSUES_EXTRAS"
 )
 
 OUT_JSON="lib/gitea/scoreboard.json"
@@ -75,13 +78,16 @@ MODULES=(
 )
 
 run_suite() {
-  local suite=$1 passvar=$2 failvar=$3 failsvar=$4
+  local suite=$1 passvar=$2 failvar=$3 failsvar=$4 extras=$5
   local file="lib/gitea/tests/${suite}.sx"
   local TMP
   TMP=$(mktemp)
   {
     echo "(epoch 1)"
     for M in "${MODULES[@]}"; do echo "(load \"$M\")"; done
+    if [ -n "$extras" ]; then
+      for M in ${extras//;/ }; do echo "(load \"$M\")"; done
+    fi
     echo "(epoch 2)"
     echo "(load \"${file}\")"
     echo "(epoch 3)"
@@ -122,8 +128,8 @@ TOTAL_FAIL=0
 
 echo "Running sx-gitea conformance suite..." >&2
 for entry in "${SUITES[@]}"; do
-  IFS='|' read -r s passvar failvar failsvar <<< "$entry"
-  read -r p f < <(run_suite "$s" "$passvar" "$failvar" "$failsvar")
+  IFS='|' read -r s passvar failvar failsvar extras <<< "$entry"
+  read -r p f < <(run_suite "$s" "$passvar" "$failvar" "$failsvar" "$extras")
   SUITE_PASS[$s]=$p
   SUITE_FAIL[$s]=$f
   TOTAL_PASS=$((TOTAL_PASS + p))
@@ -136,7 +142,7 @@ done
   printf '  "suites": {\n'
   first=1
   for entry in "${SUITES[@]}"; do
-    IFS='|' read -r s _ _ _ <<< "$entry"
+    IFS='|' read -r s _ _ _ _ <<< "$entry"
     if [ $first -eq 0 ]; then printf ',\n'; fi
     printf '    "%s": {"pass": %d, "fail": %d}' "$s" "${SUITE_PASS[$s]}" "${SUITE_FAIL[$s]}"
     first=0
@@ -154,7 +160,7 @@ done
   printf '| Suite | Pass | Fail | Total |\n'
   printf '|-------|-----:|-----:|------:|\n'
   for entry in "${SUITES[@]}"; do
-    IFS='|' read -r s _ _ _ <<< "$entry"
+    IFS='|' read -r s _ _ _ _ <<< "$entry"
     p=${SUITE_PASS[$s]}
     f=${SUITE_FAIL[$s]}
     printf '| %s | %d | %d | %d |\n' "$s" "$p" "$f" "$((p+f))"
diff --git a/lib/gitea/issues.sx b/lib/gitea/issues.sx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a7bd6841
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/gitea/issues.sx
@@ -0,0 +1,770 @@
+; lib/gitea/issues.sx — sx-gitea Phase 4: issues.
+;
+; An issue is a kv record: number, title, author, state, label/assignee
+; sets, a Markdown body, and a comment thread (each comment is Markdown
+; too). The Markdown is the stored source of truth; lib/content turns it
+; into a block document (content/from-markdown) and renders HTML
+; (content/html) — content-on-sx's round-trip law keeps the two views of
+; the same body honest.
+;
+; The issue graph (issue->repo, author, assignees, labels, commenters) is
+; DERIVED from the records into lib/relations facts — like the acl db in
+; access.sx, the relations db is rebuilt (cached on fact equality) rather
+; than maintained incrementally, so deleting a repo can never leave
+; dangling edges.
+;
+; Requires: lib/gitea/{repo,access,web}.sx and their stacks, plus
+; lib/relations/{schema,engine,api}.sx and the content stack
+; (lib/smalltalk/* + lib/content/{block,doc,render,api,meta,text,section,
+; table,markdown,md-import}.sx) with content bootstrapped:
+;   (st-bootstrap-classes!) (content/bootstrap!)
+;   (content-bootstrap-markdown!) (content-bootstrap-table!)
+
+; ── numbering / keys ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+; keys carry zero-padded numbers so lexicographic kv order = issue order
+
+(define
+  gitea/pad8
+  (fn
+    (n)
+    (let
+      ((s (str n)))
+      (str
+        (substr "00000000" 0 (- 8 (string-length s)))
+        s))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/digits-loop
+  (fn
+    (s i)
+    (if
+      (>= i (string-length s))
+      true
+      (let
+        ((c (char-code (char-at s i))))
+        (if
+          (and (>= c 48) (<= c 57))
+          (gitea/digits-loop s (+ i 1))
+          false)))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/digits?
+  (fn
+    (s)
+    (and
+      (string? s)
+      (> (string-length s) 0)
+      (gitea/digits-loop s 0))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-key
+  (fn (owner name n) (str "gitea/issue/" owner "/" name "/" (gitea/pad8 n))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-seq-key
+  (fn (owner name) (str "gitea/issue-seq/" owner "/" name)))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-next!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name)
+    (let
+      ((k (gitea/issue-seq-key owner name)))
+      (let
+        ((n (+ 1 (or (persist/kv-get (gitea/forge-db forge) k) 0))))
+        (begin (persist/kv-put (gitea/forge-db forge) k n) n)))))
+
+; ── sorted-set helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define
+  gitea/set-add
+  (fn
+    (xs x)
+    (artdag/sort-strings (cons x (filter (fn (e) (not (= e x))) xs)))))
+
+(define gitea/set-remove (fn (xs x) (filter (fn (e) (not (= e x))) xs)))
+
+; ── issue CRUD ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-create!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name author title body opts)
+    (cond
+      ((not (gitea/repo-exists? forge owner name)) {:error "no-such-repo"})
+      ((not (gitea/owner-exists? forge author)) {:error "no-such-user"})
+      ((or (not (string? title)) (= title "")) {:error "empty-title"})
+      (else
+        (let
+          ((o (or opts {})))
+          (let
+            ((n (gitea/issue-next! forge owner name)))
+            (let
+              ((rec {:state "open" :comments (list) :title title :body (or body "") :number n :author author :created-at (or (get o :created-at) 0) :assignees (artdag/sort-strings (or (get o :assignees) (list))) :labels (artdag/sort-strings (or (get o :labels) (list)))}))
+              (begin
+                (persist/kv-put
+                  (gitea/forge-db forge)
+                  (gitea/issue-key owner name n)
+                  rec)
+                rec))))))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-get
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n)
+    (persist/kv-get (gitea/forge-db forge) (gitea/issue-key owner name n))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issues
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name)
+    (map
+      (fn (s) (parse-int s))
+      (gitea/names-under forge (str "gitea/issue/" owner "/" name "/")))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-records
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name)
+    (map
+      (fn (n) (gitea/issue-get forge owner name n))
+      (gitea/issues forge owner name))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-update!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n f)
+    (let
+      ((rec (gitea/issue-get forge owner name n)))
+      (if
+        (nil? rec)
+        nil
+        (persist/kv-put
+          (gitea/forge-db forge)
+          (gitea/issue-key owner name n)
+          (f rec))))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-close!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n)
+    (gitea/issue-update!
+      forge
+      owner
+      name
+      n
+      (fn (r) (assoc r :state "closed")))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-reopen!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n)
+    (gitea/issue-update!
+      forge
+      owner
+      name
+      n
+      (fn (r) (assoc r :state "open")))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-comment!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n author body opts)
+    (cond
+      ((not (gitea/owner-exists? forge author)) {:error "no-such-user"})
+      ((nil? (gitea/issue-get forge owner name n)) {:error "no-such-issue"})
+      (else
+        (let
+          ((comment {:body (or body "") :at (or (get (or opts {}) :at) 0) :author author}))
+          (begin
+            (gitea/issue-update!
+              forge
+              owner
+              name
+              n
+              (fn
+                (r)
+                (assoc
+                  r
+                  :comments (append (get r :comments) (list comment)))))
+            comment))))))
+
+; ── labels / assignees ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-label!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n label)
+    (if
+      (or (not (string? label)) (= label ""))
+      {:error "invalid-label"}
+      (gitea/issue-update!
+        forge
+        owner
+        name
+        n
+        (fn (r) (assoc r :labels (gitea/set-add (get r :labels) label)))))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-unlabel!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n label)
+    (gitea/issue-update!
+      forge
+      owner
+      name
+      n
+      (fn (r) (assoc r :labels (gitea/set-remove (get r :labels) label))))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-assign!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n user)
+    (if
+      (not (gitea/owner-exists? forge user))
+      {:error "no-such-user"}
+      (gitea/issue-update!
+        forge
+        owner
+        name
+        n
+        (fn
+          (r)
+          (assoc r :assignees (gitea/set-add (get r :assignees) user)))))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-unassign!
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n user)
+    (gitea/issue-update!
+      forge
+      owner
+      name
+      n
+      (fn
+        (r)
+        (assoc r :assignees (gitea/set-remove (get r :assignees) user))))))
+
+; ── views over the records ───────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define
+  gitea/issues-open
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name)
+    (filter
+      (fn (r) (= (get r :state) "open"))
+      (gitea/issue-records forge owner name))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issues-closed
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name)
+    (filter
+      (fn (r) (= (get r :state) "closed"))
+      (gitea/issue-records forge owner name))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issues-with-label
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name label)
+    (filter
+      (fn (r) (contains? (get r :labels) label))
+      (gitea/issue-records forge owner name))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issues-assigned
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name user)
+    (filter
+      (fn (r) (contains? (get r :assignees) user))
+      (gitea/issue-records forge owner name))))
+
+; ── content documents ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define gitea/md-doc (fn (md id) (content/from-markdown (or md "") id)))
+
+(define gitea/md-html (fn (md id) (content/html (gitea/md-doc md id))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-doc
+  (fn
+    (owner name issue)
+    (gitea/md-doc
+      (get issue :body)
+      (str "issue-" owner "-" name "-" (get issue :number)))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-html
+  (fn (owner name issue) (content/html (gitea/issue-doc owner name issue))))
+
+; ── relations graph (derived) ────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define gitea/user-node (fn (user) (str "user:" user)))
+(define gitea/repo-node (fn (owner name) (str "repo:" owner "/" name)))
+(define
+  gitea/issue-node
+  (fn (owner name n) (str "issue:" owner "/" name "#" n)))
+(define
+  gitea/label-node
+  (fn (owner name label) (str "label:" owner "/" name "/" label)))
+
+(define
+  gitea/rel-facts
+  (fn
+    (forge)
+    (let
+      ((facts (list)))
+      (begin
+        (for-each
+          (fn
+            (full)
+            (let
+              ((p (gitea/split-full full)))
+              (let
+                ((owner (get p :owner)) (name (get p :name)))
+                (for-each
+                  (fn
+                    (rec)
+                    (let
+                      ((inode (gitea/issue-node owner name (get rec :number))))
+                      (begin
+                        (append!
+                          facts
+                          (relations-rel
+                            inode
+                            (gitea/repo-node owner name)
+                            (quote parent)))
+                        (append!
+                          facts
+                          (relations-rel
+                            inode
+                            (gitea/user-node (get rec :author))
+                            (quote origin)))
+                        (for-each
+                          (fn
+                            (a)
+                            (append!
+                              facts
+                              (relations-rel
+                                (gitea/user-node a)
+                                inode
+                                (quote member))))
+                          (get rec :assignees))
+                        (for-each
+                          (fn
+                            (l)
+                            (append!
+                              facts
+                              (relations-rel
+                                inode
+                                (gitea/label-node owner name l)
+                                (quote link))))
+                          (get rec :labels))
+                        (for-each
+                          (fn
+                            (c)
+                            (append!
+                              facts
+                              (relations-rel
+                                (gitea/user-node (get c :author))
+                                inode
+                                (quote reply))))
+                          (get rec :comments)))))
+                  (gitea/issue-records forge owner name)))))
+          (gitea/repos forge))
+        facts))))
+
+; rebuild only when the derived facts changed (cache in the forge handle)
+(define
+  gitea/rels-db
+  (fn
+    (forge)
+    (let
+      ((facts (gitea/rel-facts forge)) (cache (get forge :cache)))
+      (if
+        (and cache (= (get cache "rel-facts") facts) (get cache "rels-db"))
+        (get cache "rels-db")
+        (let
+          ((db (relations-build-db facts)))
+          (begin
+            (if
+              cache
+              (begin
+                (dict-set! cache "rel-facts" facts)
+                (dict-set! cache "rels-db" db))
+              nil)
+            db))))))
+
+; issues of a repo, by graph (sorted issue node ids)
+(define
+  gitea/repo-issue-nodes
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name)
+    (artdag/sort-strings
+      (relations-parents-of
+        (gitea/rels-db forge)
+        (gitea/repo-node owner name)
+        (quote parent)))))
+
+; issues a user authored
+(define
+  gitea/user-authored
+  (fn
+    (forge user)
+    (artdag/sort-strings
+      (relations-parents-of
+        (gitea/rels-db forge)
+        (gitea/user-node user)
+        (quote origin)))))
+
+; issues assigned to a user
+(define
+  gitea/user-assigned
+  (fn
+    (forge user)
+    (artdag/sort-strings
+      (relations-children-of
+        (gitea/rels-db forge)
+        (gitea/user-node user)
+        (quote member)))))
+
+; issues carrying a label
+(define
+  gitea/label-issues
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name label)
+    (artdag/sort-strings
+      (relations-parents-of
+        (gitea/rels-db forge)
+        (gitea/label-node owner name label)
+        (quote link)))))
+
+; everyone touching an issue: author + assignees + commenters
+(define
+  gitea/issue-participants
+  (fn
+    (forge owner name n)
+    (let
+      ((inode (gitea/issue-node owner name n)) (db (gitea/rels-db forge)))
+      (artdag/sort-strings
+        (relations-dedup
+          (concat
+            (relations-children-of db inode (quote origin))
+            (concat
+              (relations-parents-of db inode (quote member))
+              (relations-parents-of db inode (quote reply)))))))))
+
+; ── web ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define
+  gitea/w-issue-n
+  (fn
+    (req)
+    (let
+      ((s (dream-param req "n")))
+      (if (gitea/digits? s) (parse-int s) nil))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/w-issue-item
+  (fn
+    (owner name r)
+    (str
+      "<li class=\""
+      (get r :state)
+      "\"><a href=\"/"
+      owner
+      "/"
+      name
+      "/issues/"
+      (get r :number)
+      "\">#"
+      (get r :number)
+      " "
+      (dream-escape (get r :title))
+      "</a> ["
+      (get r :state)
+      "]</li>")))
+
+(define
+  gitea/w-issues-page
+  (fn
+    (forge req)
+    (let
+      ((owner (dream-param req "owner")) (name (dream-param req "name")))
+      (if
+        (not (gitea/w-readable? forge req owner name))
+        (dream-not-found)
+        (gitea/w-page
+          (str owner "/" name " issues")
+          (str
+            "<h1>Issues</h1><ul>"
+            (join
+              ""
+              (map
+                (fn (r) (gitea/w-issue-item owner name r))
+                (gitea/issue-records forge owner name)))
+            "</ul>"))))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/w-comment-html
+  (fn
+    (owner name n i c)
+    (str
+      "<div class=\"comment\"><p class=\"author\">"
+      (dream-escape (get c :author))
+      "</p>"
+      (gitea/md-html (get c :body) (str "c-" owner "-" name "-" n "-" i))
+      "</div>")))
+
+(define
+  gitea/w-issue-page
+  (fn
+    (forge req)
+    (let
+      ((owner (dream-param req "owner"))
+        (name (dream-param req "name"))
+        (n (gitea/w-issue-n req)))
+      (if
+        (or (nil? n) (not (gitea/w-readable? forge req owner name)))
+        (dream-not-found)
+        (let
+          ((rec (gitea/issue-get forge owner name n)))
+          (if
+            (nil? rec)
+            (dream-not-found)
+            (gitea/w-page
+              (str "#" n " " (get rec :title))
+              (str
+                "<h1>#"
+                n
+                " "
+                (dream-escape (get rec :title))
+                "</h1>"
+                "<p class=\"state\">"
+                (get rec :state)
+                "</p>"
+                "<p class=\"author\">"
+                (dream-escape (get rec :author))
+                "</p>"
+                "<p class=\"labels\">"
+                (dream-escape (join ", " (get rec :labels)))
+                "</p>"
+                "<p class=\"assignees\">"
+                (dream-escape (join ", " (get rec :assignees)))
+                "</p>"
+                "<div class=\"body\">"
+                (gitea/issue-html owner name rec)
+                "</div>"
+                "<h2>Comments</h2>"
+                (join
+                  ""
+                  (map-indexed
+                    (fn (i c) (gitea/w-comment-html owner name n i c))
+                    (get rec :comments)))))))))))
+
+; ── json api ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define
+  gitea/w-api-issues
+  (fn
+    (forge req)
+    (let
+      ((owner (dream-param req "owner")) (name (dream-param req "name")))
+      (if
+        (not (gitea/w-readable? forge req owner name))
+        (dream-not-found)
+        (dream-json-value
+          (map (fn (r) {:state (get r :state) :title (get r :title) :number (get r :number)}) (gitea/issue-records forge owner name)))))))
+
+; any authenticated reader may open an issue
+(define
+  gitea/w-api-issue-create
+  (fn
+    (forge req)
+    (let
+      ((owner (dream-param req "owner")) (name (dream-param req "name")))
+      (let
+        ((user (gitea/w-user forge req)))
+        (cond
+          ((not (gitea/can? forge user "read" owner name))
+            (if
+              (nil? user)
+              (if
+                (gitea/repo-exists? forge owner name)
+                (if
+                  (equal?
+                    (get (gitea/repo-get forge owner name) :visibility)
+                    "public")
+                  (gitea/w-unauthorized)
+                  (dream-not-found))
+                (dream-not-found))
+              (dream-not-found)))
+          ((nil? user) (gitea/w-unauthorized))
+          (else
+            (let
+              ((body (dream-json-body req)))
+              (let
+                ((res (gitea/issue-create! forge owner name user (get body :title) (or (get body :body) "") {:created-at (or (get body :created-at) 0) :assignees (or (get body :assignees) (list)) :labels (or (get body :labels) (list))})))
+                (if
+                  (get res :error)
+                  (gitea/w-json-status 400 {:error (get res :error)})
+                  (gitea/w-json-status 201 {:title (get res :title) :number (get res :number)}))))))))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/w-api-issue-comment
+  (fn
+    (forge req)
+    (let
+      ((owner (dream-param req "owner"))
+        (name (dream-param req "name"))
+        (n (gitea/w-issue-n req)))
+      (let
+        ((user (gitea/w-user forge req)))
+        (cond
+          ((or (nil? n) (not (gitea/can? forge user "read" owner name)))
+            (dream-not-found))
+          ((nil? user) (gitea/w-unauthorized))
+          (else
+            (let
+              ((body (dream-json-body req)))
+              (let
+                ((res (gitea/issue-comment! forge owner name n user (or (get body :body) "") {:at (or (get body :created-at) 0)})))
+                (if
+                  (get res :error)
+                  (gitea/w-json-status 404 {:error (get res :error)})
+                  (dream-json-value {:author user}))))))))))
+
+; the author or anyone with write may close/reopen
+(define
+  gitea/issue-can-close?
+  (fn
+    (forge user owner name rec)
+    (or
+      (= user (get rec :author))
+      (gitea/can? forge user "write" owner name))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/w-api-issue-state
+  (fn
+    (forge req state)
+    (let
+      ((owner (dream-param req "owner"))
+        (name (dream-param req "name"))
+        (n (gitea/w-issue-n req)))
+      (let
+        ((user (gitea/w-user forge req)))
+        (cond
+          ((or (nil? n) (not (gitea/can? forge user "read" owner name)))
+            (dream-not-found))
+          ((nil? user) (gitea/w-unauthorized))
+          (else
+            (let
+              ((rec (gitea/issue-get forge owner name n)))
+              (cond
+                ((nil? rec) (dream-not-found))
+                ((not (gitea/issue-can-close? forge user owner name rec))
+                  (gitea/w-forbidden))
+                (else
+                  (begin
+                    (gitea/issue-update!
+                      forge
+                      owner
+                      name
+                      n
+                      (fn (r) (assoc r :state state)))
+                    (dream-json-value {:state state :number n})))))))))))
+
+; label + assignee management requires write
+(define
+  gitea/w-api-issue-edit
+  (fn
+    (forge req f)
+    (let
+      ((owner (dream-param req "owner"))
+        (name (dream-param req "name"))
+        (n (gitea/w-issue-n req)))
+      (let
+        ((user (gitea/w-user forge req)))
+        (cond
+          ((or (nil? n) (not (gitea/can? forge user "read" owner name)))
+            (dream-not-found))
+          ((nil? user) (gitea/w-unauthorized))
+          ((not (gitea/can? forge user "write" owner name))
+            (gitea/w-forbidden))
+          ((nil? (gitea/issue-get forge owner name n)) (dream-not-found))
+          (else
+            (let
+              ((res (f owner name n)))
+              (if
+                (and (dict? res) (get res :error))
+                (gitea/w-json-status 400 {:error (get res :error)})
+                (dream-json-value {:number n})))))))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/issue-routes
+  (fn
+    (forge)
+    (list
+      (dream-get
+        "/:owner/:name/issues"
+        (fn (req) (gitea/w-issues-page forge req)))
+      (dream-get
+        "/:owner/:name/issues/:n"
+        (fn (req) (gitea/w-issue-page forge req)))
+      (dream-get
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues"
+        (fn (req) (gitea/w-api-issues forge req)))
+      (dream-post
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues"
+        (fn (req) (gitea/w-api-issue-create forge req)))
+      (dream-post
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues/:n/comments"
+        (fn (req) (gitea/w-api-issue-comment forge req)))
+      (dream-post
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues/:n/close"
+        (fn (req) (gitea/w-api-issue-state forge req "closed")))
+      (dream-post
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues/:n/reopen"
+        (fn (req) (gitea/w-api-issue-state forge req "open")))
+      (dream-put
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues/:n/labels/:label"
+        (fn
+          (req)
+          (gitea/w-api-issue-edit
+            forge
+            req
+            (fn
+              (o r n)
+              (gitea/issue-label! forge o r n (dream-param req "label"))))))
+      (dream-delete
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues/:n/labels/:label"
+        (fn
+          (req)
+          (gitea/w-api-issue-edit
+            forge
+            req
+            (fn
+              (o r n)
+              (gitea/issue-unlabel! forge o r n (dream-param req "label"))))))
+      (dream-put
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues/:n/assignees/:user"
+        (fn
+          (req)
+          (gitea/w-api-issue-edit
+            forge
+            req
+            (fn
+              (o r n)
+              (gitea/issue-assign! forge o r n (dream-param req "user"))))))
+      (dream-delete
+        "/api/repos/:owner/:name/issues/:n/assignees/:user"
+        (fn
+          (req)
+          (gitea/w-api-issue-edit
+            forge
+            req
+            (fn
+              (o r n)
+              (gitea/issue-unassign! forge o r n (dream-param req "user")))))))))
+
+(set! gitea/route-packs (append gitea/route-packs (list gitea/issue-routes)))
diff --git a/lib/gitea/repo.sx b/lib/gitea/repo.sx
index 1689d194..ee9a1364 100644
--- a/lib/gitea/repo.sx
+++ b/lib/gitea/repo.sx
@@ -145,7 +145,24 @@
     (forge owner name)
     (git/repo-named (gitea/forge-db forge) (gitea/repo-ns owner name))))
 
-; delete the record and purge every git key under the repo's namespace
+; everything owned by a repo record, beyond the record itself: its git
+; namespace and any per-repo rows other phases hang off it
+(define
+  gitea/repo-purge-prefixes
+  (fn
+    (owner name)
+    (list
+      (str (gitea/repo-ns owner name) "/")
+      (str "gitea/collab/" owner "/" name "/")
+      (str "gitea/issue/" owner "/" name "/"))))
+
+(define
+  gitea/repo-purge-keys
+  (fn (owner name) (list (str "gitea/issue-seq/" owner "/" name))))
+
+; delete the record and purge every key the repo owns — a recreated repo
+; under the same name must start truly empty (no ghost collaborators,
+; issues, or objects)
 (define
   gitea/repo-delete!
   (fn
@@ -154,15 +171,25 @@
       (not (gitea/repo-exists? forge owner name))
       false
       (let
-        ((db (gitea/forge-db forge)))
-        (let
-          ((pfx (str (gitea/repo-ns owner name) "/")))
-          (begin
-            (for-each
-              (fn (k) (persist/kv-delete db k))
-              (filter (fn (k) (starts-with? k pfx)) (persist/kv-keys db)))
-            (persist/kv-delete db (gitea/repo-key owner name))
-            true))))))
+        ((db (gitea/forge-db forge))
+          (prefixes (gitea/repo-purge-prefixes owner name)))
+        (begin
+          (for-each
+            (fn
+              (k)
+              (if
+                (reduce
+                  (fn (acc p) (or acc (starts-with? k p)))
+                  false
+                  prefixes)
+                (persist/kv-delete db k)
+                nil))
+            (persist/kv-keys db))
+          (for-each
+            (fn (k) (persist/kv-delete db k))
+            (gitea/repo-purge-keys owner name))
+          (persist/kv-delete db (gitea/repo-key owner name))
+          true)))))
 
 (define gitea/repos (fn (forge) (gitea/names-under forge "gitea/repo/")))
 
diff --git a/lib/gitea/scoreboard.json b/lib/gitea/scoreboard.json
index 9a0e2702..ba595c2b 100644
--- a/lib/gitea/scoreboard.json
+++ b/lib/gitea/scoreboard.json
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@
   "suites": {
     "repo": {"pass": 91, "fail": 0},
     "access": {"pass": 103, "fail": 0},
-    "wire": {"pass": 78, "fail": 0}
+    "wire": {"pass": 78, "fail": 0},
+    "issues": {"pass": 88, "fail": 0}
   },
-  "total_pass": 272,
+  "total_pass": 360,
   "total_fail": 0,
-  "total": 272
+  "total": 360
 }
diff --git a/lib/gitea/scoreboard.md b/lib/gitea/scoreboard.md
index f5221f5a..2a96f95e 100644
--- a/lib/gitea/scoreboard.md
+++ b/lib/gitea/scoreboard.md
@@ -7,4 +7,5 @@ _Generated by `lib/gitea/conformance.sh`_
 | repo | 91 | 0 | 91 |
 | access | 103 | 0 | 103 |
 | wire | 78 | 0 | 78 |
-| **Total** | **272** | **0** | **272** |
+| issues | 88 | 0 | 88 |
+| **Total** | **360** | **0** | **360** |
diff --git a/lib/gitea/tests/issues.sx b/lib/gitea/tests/issues.sx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5fa8236c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/gitea/tests/issues.sx
@@ -0,0 +1,571 @@
+; lib/gitea/tests/issues.sx — Phase 4: issue CRUD, comments, labels,
+; assignees, content-document bodies (Markdown round-trip + HTML render),
+; the derived relations graph, repo-delete purge regression, and the
+; issue web routes + JSON API.
+
+(st-bootstrap-classes!)
+(content/bootstrap!)
+(content-bootstrap-markdown!)
+(content-bootstrap-table!)
+
+(define gitea-issues-pass 0)
+(define gitea-issues-fail 0)
+(define gitea-issues-fails (list))
+
+(define
+  gitea-issues-test
+  (fn
+    (name actual expected)
+    (if
+      (= actual expected)
+      (set! gitea-issues-pass (+ gitea-issues-pass 1))
+      (begin
+        (set! gitea-issues-fail (+ gitea-issues-fail 1))
+        (set!
+          gitea-issues-fails
+          (append gitea-issues-fails (list {:name name :expected (inspect expected) :actual (inspect actual)})))))))
+
+; ── helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(gitea-issues-test "pad8" (gitea/pad8 7) "00000007")
+(gitea-issues-test "pad8 wide" (gitea/pad8 12345) "00012345")
+(gitea-issues-test "digits? yes" (gitea/digits? "123") true)
+(gitea-issues-test "digits? no" (gitea/digits? "12a") false)
+(gitea-issues-test "digits? empty" (gitea/digits? "") false)
+
+; ── setup ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define gi-db (persist/mem-backend))
+(define gi-forge (gitea/forge gi-db))
+(gitea/user-create! gi-forge "alice")
+(gitea/user-create! gi-forge "bob")
+(gitea/user-create! gi-forge "carol")
+(gitea/user-create! gi-forge "eve")
+(gitea/repo-create! gi-forge "alice" "proj" {})
+(gitea/repo-create! gi-forge "alice" "sec" {:visibility "private"})
+(gitea/collab-add! gi-forge "alice" "sec" "bob" "read")
+(gitea/token-create! gi-forge "alice" "tok-a")
+(gitea/token-create! gi-forge "bob" "tok-b")
+(gitea/token-create! gi-forge "eve" "tok-e")
+
+; ── issue CRUD ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define
+  gi-i1
+  (gitea/issue-create!
+    gi-forge
+    "alice"
+    "proj"
+    "alice"
+    "Crash on boot"
+    "It crashes."
+    {:created-at 10}))
+
+(gitea-issues-test "create number" (get gi-i1 :number) 1)
+(gitea-issues-test "create state" (get gi-i1 :state) "open")
+(gitea-issues-test "create title" (get gi-i1 :title) "Crash on boot")
+(gitea-issues-test "create author" (get gi-i1 :author) "alice")
+(gitea-issues-test "create created-at" (get gi-i1 :created-at) 10)
+
+(define
+  gi-i2
+  (gitea/issue-create!
+    gi-forge
+    "alice"
+    "proj"
+    "bob"
+    "Add docs"
+    "Docs please."
+    {}))
+(gitea-issues-test "second number" (get gi-i2 :number) 2)
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue-get"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1) :title)
+  "Crash on boot")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issues list"
+  (gitea/issues gi-forge "alice" "proj")
+  (list 1 2))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue-records len"
+  (len (gitea/issue-records gi-forge "alice" "proj"))
+  2)
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "create on missing repo"
+  (get
+    (gitea/issue-create! gi-forge "alice" "none" "alice" "t" "" {})
+    :error)
+  "no-such-repo")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "create by missing user"
+  (get
+    (gitea/issue-create! gi-forge "alice" "proj" "zeb" "t" "" {})
+    :error)
+  "no-such-user")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "create empty title"
+  (get
+    (gitea/issue-create! gi-forge "alice" "proj" "alice" "" "" {})
+    :error)
+  "empty-title")
+
+(gitea/issue-close! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "close!"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2) :state)
+  "closed")
+(gitea/issue-reopen! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "reopen!"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2) :state)
+  "open")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "close missing"
+  (gitea/issue-close! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 99)
+  nil)
+(gitea/issue-close! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2)
+
+; ── comments ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "comment author"
+  (get
+    (gitea/issue-comment!
+      gi-forge
+      "alice"
+      "proj"
+      1
+      "bob"
+      "Repro *here*."
+      {:at 11})
+    :author)
+  "bob")
+(gitea/issue-comment!
+  gi-forge
+  "alice"
+  "proj"
+  1
+  "carol"
+  "Same for me."
+  {:at 12})
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "comments appended"
+  (len (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1) :comments))
+  2)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "comment order"
+  (get
+    (first
+      (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1) :comments))
+    :body)
+  "Repro *here*.")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "comment on missing issue"
+  (get
+    (gitea/issue-comment!
+      gi-forge
+      "alice"
+      "proj"
+      99
+      "bob"
+      "x"
+      {})
+    :error)
+  "no-such-issue")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "comment by missing user"
+  (get
+    (gitea/issue-comment!
+      gi-forge
+      "alice"
+      "proj"
+      1
+      "zeb"
+      "x"
+      {})
+    :error)
+  "no-such-user")
+
+; ── labels / assignees ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(gitea/issue-label! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1 "ui")
+(gitea/issue-label! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1 "bug")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "labels sorted"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1) :labels)
+  (list "bug" "ui"))
+(gitea/issue-label! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1 "bug")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "label idempotent"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1) :labels)
+  (list "bug" "ui"))
+(gitea/issue-unlabel! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1 "bug")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "unlabel"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1) :labels)
+  (list "ui"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "invalid label"
+  (get (gitea/issue-label! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1 "") :error)
+  "invalid-label")
+
+(gitea/issue-assign! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2 "carol")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "assign"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2) :assignees)
+  (list "carol"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "assign unknown user"
+  (get (gitea/issue-assign! gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2 "zeb") :error)
+  "no-such-user")
+
+; ── views ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issues-open"
+  (len (gitea/issues-open gi-forge "alice" "proj"))
+  1)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issues-closed"
+  (len (gitea/issues-closed gi-forge "alice" "proj"))
+  1)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issues-with-label"
+  (map
+    (fn (r) (get r :number))
+    (gitea/issues-with-label gi-forge "alice" "proj" "ui"))
+  (list 1))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issues-assigned"
+  (map
+    (fn (r) (get r :number))
+    (gitea/issues-assigned gi-forge "alice" "proj" "carol"))
+  (list 2))
+
+; ── content documents ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define gi-md "# Heading\n\npara text.\n\n```sx\n(+ 1 2)\n```")
+(define
+  gi-i3
+  (gitea/issue-create!
+    gi-forge
+    "alice"
+    "proj"
+    "alice"
+    "With md body"
+    gi-md
+    {}))
+(define gi-doc (gitea/issue-doc "alice" "proj" gi-i3))
+
+(gitea-issues-test "issue doc block count" (content/count gi-doc) 3)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue doc types"
+  (content/types gi-doc)
+  (list "heading" "text" "code"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue html heading"
+  (contains? (gitea/issue-html "alice" "proj" gi-i3) "<h1>Heading</h1>")
+  true)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue html code block"
+  (contains? (gitea/issue-html "alice" "proj" gi-i3) "<pre><code")
+  true)
+(gitea-issues-test "markdown round trip" (content/markdown gi-doc) gi-md)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "comment md renders"
+  (contains? (gitea/md-html "Repro *here*." "t1") "<p>")
+  true)
+
+; ── relations graph ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "repo issue nodes"
+  (gitea/repo-issue-nodes gi-forge "alice" "proj")
+  (list "issue:alice/proj#1" "issue:alice/proj#2" "issue:alice/proj#3"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "authored by alice"
+  (gitea/user-authored gi-forge "alice")
+  (list "issue:alice/proj#1" "issue:alice/proj#3"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "authored by bob"
+  (gitea/user-authored gi-forge "bob")
+  (list "issue:alice/proj#2"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "assigned to carol"
+  (gitea/user-assigned gi-forge "carol")
+  (list "issue:alice/proj#2"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "label issues"
+  (gitea/label-issues gi-forge "alice" "proj" "ui")
+  (list "issue:alice/proj#1"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "participants incl commenters"
+  (gitea/issue-participants gi-forge "alice" "proj" 1)
+  (list "user:alice" "user:bob" "user:carol"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "participants author+assignee"
+  (gitea/issue-participants gi-forge "alice" "proj" 2)
+  (list "user:bob" "user:carol"))
+
+; ── repo delete purges issue state ───────────────────────────────────
+
+(gitea/repo-create! gi-forge "alice" "tmp" {})
+(gitea/issue-create! gi-forge "alice" "tmp" "alice" "Ghost?" "" {})
+(gitea/collab-add! gi-forge "alice" "tmp" "carol" "write")
+(gitea/repo-delete! gi-forge "alice" "tmp")
+(gitea/repo-create! gi-forge "alice" "tmp" {})
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "recreated repo has no ghost issues"
+  (gitea/issues gi-forge "alice" "tmp")
+  (list))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "recreated repo has no ghost collabs"
+  (gitea/collabs gi-forge "alice" "tmp")
+  (list))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue numbering restarts"
+  (get
+    (gitea/issue-create! gi-forge "alice" "tmp" "alice" "Fresh" "" {})
+    :number)
+  1)
+(gitea/repo-delete! gi-forge "alice" "tmp")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "deleted repo leaves no issue edges"
+  (gitea/repo-issue-nodes gi-forge "alice" "tmp")
+  (list))
+
+; ── web routes ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+(define gi-app (gitea/app gi-forge))
+(define gi-hdr (fn (tok) (if (nil? tok) {} {:authorization (str "Bearer " tok)})))
+(define
+  gi-get
+  (fn (target tok) (gi-app (dream-request "GET" target (gi-hdr tok) ""))))
+(define
+  gi-post
+  (fn
+    (target tok body)
+    (gi-app (dream-request "POST" target (gi-hdr tok) body))))
+(define
+  gi-put
+  (fn
+    (target tok body)
+    (gi-app (dream-request "PUT" target (gi-hdr tok) body))))
+(define
+  gi-del
+  (fn
+    (target tok)
+    (gi-app (dream-request "DELETE" target (gi-hdr tok) ""))))
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issues page 200"
+  (dream-status (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues" nil))
+  200)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issues page lists title"
+  (contains?
+    (dream-resp-body (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues" nil))
+    "Crash on boot")
+  true)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issues page shows state"
+  (contains? (dream-resp-body (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues" nil)) "[closed]")
+  true)
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue page 200"
+  (dream-status (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues/1" nil))
+  200)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue page shows author"
+  (contains? (dream-resp-body (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues/1" nil)) "alice")
+  true)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue page renders body html"
+  (contains?
+    (dream-resp-body (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues/3" nil))
+    "<h1>Heading</h1>")
+  true)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue page renders comments"
+  (contains?
+    (dream-resp-body (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues/1" nil))
+    "Same for me.")
+  true)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue page bad number 404"
+  (dream-status (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues/abc" nil))
+  404)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "issue page missing 404"
+  (dream-status (gi-get "/alice/proj/issues/99" nil))
+  404)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "private issues anon 404"
+  (dream-status (gi-get "/alice/sec/issues" nil))
+  404)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "private issues collab 200"
+  (dream-status (gi-get "/alice/sec/issues" "tok-b"))
+  200)
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api issues len"
+  (len
+    (dream-json-parse
+      (dream-resp-body (gi-get "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues" nil))))
+  3)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api issues first number"
+  (get
+    (first
+      (dream-json-parse
+        (dream-resp-body (gi-get "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues" nil))))
+    :number)
+  1)
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api create anon 401"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-post
+      "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues"
+      nil
+      (dream-json-encode {:title "t"})))
+  401)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api create reader 201"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-post
+      "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues"
+      "tok-e"
+      (dream-json-encode {:title "From eve" :body "hi"})))
+  201)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api created number"
+  (len (gitea/issues gi-forge "alice" "proj"))
+  4)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api create on private hidden 404"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-post
+      "/api/repos/alice/sec/issues"
+      "tok-e"
+      (dream-json-encode {:title "x"})))
+  404)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api create empty title 400"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-post
+      "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues"
+      "tok-e"
+      (dream-json-encode {:title ""})))
+  400)
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api comment 200"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-post
+      "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/4/comments"
+      "tok-b"
+      (dream-json-encode {:body "noted"})))
+  200)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api comment recorded"
+  (len (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 4) :comments))
+  1)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api comment anon 401"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-post
+      "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/4/comments"
+      nil
+      (dream-json-encode {:body "x"})))
+  401)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api comment missing issue 404"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-post
+      "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/99/comments"
+      "tok-b"
+      (dream-json-encode {:body "x"})))
+  404)
+
+; eve authored #4 and may close it without write; reopen as alice (write)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api close by author 200"
+  (dream-status (gi-post "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/4/close" "tok-e" "{}"))
+  200)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api close applied"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 4) :state)
+  "closed")
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api reopen by write 200"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-post "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/4/reopen" "tok-a" "{}"))
+  200)
+
+; issue #5: authored by alice — eve (reader, not author) may not close
+(gitea/issue-create!
+  gi-forge
+  "alice"
+  "proj"
+  "alice"
+  "Owner issue"
+  ""
+  {})
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api close by stranger 403"
+  (dream-status (gi-post "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/5/close" "tok-e" "{}"))
+  403)
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api label put by write 200"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-put "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/5/labels/bug" "tok-a" "{}"))
+  200)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api label applied"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 5) :labels)
+  (list "bug"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api label by reader 403"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-put "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/5/labels/x" "tok-e" "{}"))
+  403)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api label delete 200"
+  (dream-status (gi-del "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/5/labels/bug" "tok-a"))
+  200)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api label removed"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 5) :labels)
+  (list))
+
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api assign 200"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-put "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/5/assignees/bob" "tok-a" "{}"))
+  200)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api assign applied"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 5) :assignees)
+  (list "bob"))
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api assign unknown user 400"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-put "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/5/assignees/zeb" "tok-a" "{}"))
+  400)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api unassign 200"
+  (dream-status
+    (gi-del "/api/repos/alice/proj/issues/5/assignees/bob" "tok-a"))
+  200)
+(gitea-issues-test
+  "api unassign applied"
+  (get (gitea/issue-get gi-forge "alice" "proj" 5) :assignees)
+  (list))
diff --git a/lib/gitea/web.sx b/lib/gitea/web.sx
index fd735871..ea9ad0fd 100644
--- a/lib/gitea/web.sx
+++ b/lib/gitea/web.sx
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@
 ; needs the owner (or org admin), delete and collaborator management need
 ; "admin". 401 = no credentials, 403 = authenticated but not allowed.
 ;
+; Later modules (wire, issues, ...) extend the app by appending a routes
+; pack to gitea/route-packs at load time; gitea/app serves them all.
+;
 ; Requires: lib/gitea/{repo,access}.sx, lib/dream/{types,router,middleware,
 ; error,html,json,auth,api}.sx
 
@@ -497,4 +500,16 @@
         "/:owner/:name/raw/:ref/**"
         (fn (req) (gitea/w-raw forge req))))))
 
-(define gitea/app (fn (forge) (dream-make-app (gitea/routes forge))))
+; extension point: wire/issues/... append their packs at load time
+(define gitea/route-packs (list gitea/routes))
+
+(define
+  gitea/all-routes
+  (fn
+    (forge)
+    (reduce
+      (fn (acc pack) (concat acc (pack forge)))
+      (list)
+      gitea/route-packs)))
+
+(define gitea/app (fn (forge) (dream-make-app (gitea/all-routes forge))))
diff --git a/lib/gitea/wire.sx b/lib/gitea/wire.sx
index 5776f8f3..90e6ee6b 100644
--- a/lib/gitea/wire.sx
+++ b/lib/gitea/wire.sx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 ; from the bytes, so a pack can't lie about its contents. SHA-1/packfile
 ; byte compat for stock git clients stays in lib/git/{export,import}.sx.
 ;
-; Endpoints (added to the web routes by gitea/forge-routes):
+; Endpoints (registered on gitea/route-packs):
 ;   GET  /:owner/:name/info/refs         read-gated ref advertisement
 ;   POST /:owner/:name/git-upload-pack   read-gated;  wants/haves -> pack
 ;   POST /:owner/:name/git-receive-pack  write-gated; commands+pack -> statuses
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@
 ; Limits: one object per pkt line => objects over ~64KB need side-band
 ; chunking (future extension); gitea/pkt-fits? reports this.
 ;
-; Requires: lib/gitea/{repo,access,web}.sx and their stacks.
+; Requires: lib/gitea/{repo,access,web}.sx and their stacks, plus
+; sx-parse (spec/parser.sx on the OCaml server host).
 
 ; ── pkt-line framing ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -359,7 +360,7 @@
                                 (gitea/apply-cmd! grepo (gitea/cmd-parse c)))
                               cmds)))))))))))))))
 
-; ── routes: web + wire ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+; ── routes ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 (define
   gitea/wire-routes
@@ -376,13 +377,11 @@
         "/:owner/:name/git-receive-pack"
         (fn (req) (gitea/w-receive-pack forge req))))))
 
-(define
-  gitea/forge-routes
-  (fn (forge) (concat (gitea/routes forge) (gitea/wire-routes forge))))
+(set! gitea/route-packs (append gitea/route-packs (list gitea/wire-routes)))
 
-(define
-  gitea/forge-app
-  (fn (forge) (dream-make-app (gitea/forge-routes forge))))
+; back-compat aliases from before the route-pack registry
+(define gitea/forge-routes gitea/all-routes)
+(define gitea/forge-app gitea/app)
 
 ; ── client ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 ; A remote is any dream app fn plus repo coordinates and a token — the